North Pennines Archaeology Limited undertook two archaeological evaluations on Hadrian’s Wall during December 2006 and May 2007, at Willowford Farm, Gilsland and Heads Wood Farm, Brampton, both in north Cumbria.

At Willowford Farm, a single evaluation trench was placed directly across the line of Hadrian’s Wall. The results of the evaluation succeeded in identifying archaeological remains dating to the Roman and the later post-medieval periods. A possible shallow foundation cut for the Wall was revealed, which showed that the majority of stone used for the Wall had been robbed out. It is also likely that stone from the Wall had been removed in order to create access to land to the north of Willowford Farm. The Wall Ditch was also exposed, however due to the limit of excavation required, the ditch was left unexcavated.

Heads Wood Farm is located to the west of Brampton in North Cumbria, and lies on the projected line of the Hadrian’s Wall. The opportunity to examine the archaeological remains relating to the Wall arose during an archaeological evaluation, prior to the insertion of land drains.

Hadrian’s Wall west of the River Irthing was originally constructed as an earthen bank and later replaced in stone. The most likely reason for this is the change in the local geology. The readily available supply of limestone used for mortar ceases at the Red Rock fault, which occurs at Craggle Hill (Turret 53b). As a direct result, lime used in the construction could no longer be prepared at hand and would have to be brought from over the Irthing. The milecastles of the Turf Wall were built in turf and timber and the turrets were of stone, and it is possible that the replacement of the Turf Wall in stone probably began almost immediately.

The evaluation revealed Hadrian’s Wall in both its stone and turf phases, which will significantly add to our knowledge about this section of the Wall. However, later disturbances and successive stone robbing had removed the majority of stone used in the construction of the later Wall, and all that survived was the bottom foundation course. As is expected when the Stone Wall was rebuilt on the exact line of the Turf Wall very little survived of the Turf Wall itself due to the fact that the Turf Wall was levelled. The Stone Wall at Heads Wood is known to have been of the intermediate Stone Wall type measuring approximately 2.9m across it base. The base of the turf wall was substantially wider than that of the Stone Wall and could be up to 6m wide approximately double that of the intermediate Stone Wall.